SPOKANE, Wash. — The NHL Draft will take place on June 21 and 22 and Spokane Chiefs forward Adam Beckman is expected to be taken.
There is excitement over his potential. He was invited to NHL Combine with over 100 other prospects from May 27 to May 31.
His rookie season with the Chiefs had scouts excited for two reasons. He led the team in goals in the regular season and postseason as a first year player. The other reason is he grew.
At age 17 he was 5' feet 8 inches and weighed about 140 pounds. Now at 18 years old, he's 6 feet 1 inch and about 170 pounds.
As he preparing for the combine, he had the help of current Chiefs teammates who have been through the process. Teammates Ty Smith, Jaret Anderson-Dolan and Fillip Kral all have done it recently.
So Beckman picked their brains on what to expect.
"They taught me how to mentally prepare yourself," Beckman said. "They kind of told me about what I was going to be doing. It made me comfortable going in instead of being a deer in headlights."
He feels he performed well and he saw how he stacks up against other prospects. He just wants to get bigger moving forward.
"I still want to fill it out to be where I want to be," Beckman said. "I think I definitely got to put on some weight and muscle and be a physical player to be a force in there."
Beckman hopes to go in the second or third round of the NHL Draft. He's projected to go anywhere from the second to the fourth round.
The first round of the draft will be on June 21. Rounds 2 to 7 will be on June 22nd.
